


Satisfaction Guaranteed

by GlassSerendipity



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sex Shop, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-13 00:57:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15352668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassSerendipity/pseuds/GlassSerendipity
Summary: PruCan Sex Shop AU. Matthew is working in his cousin's shop to get a earn a bit of money. Though he'd rather forget every face he ever saw while working there, there's one regular customer he wouldn't mind seeing again. Canada x fem!prussia. This is a repost from a story I put on tumblr and then deleted





	1. Chapter 1

Matthew often wondered why he had to wear a name tag at work. His boss said it made the customers feel more welcome and open. Not that Matthew wasn't a friendly person. There was just something about working here that constantly made him want to forget every person who walked through the door.

Still, a job was a job, so he acted professionally. He knew how important it was to have customers and to keep them coming. It was easy money, so that's pretty much the only reason he worked for his cousin.

"Hey." Matthew felt someone tap on his arm as he was restocking the shelves. He turned to find a woman with long, straight, almost white hair. Her eyes were a striking shade of red. Her mouth displayed a smile that was just about as cocky as the giant purple dildo gripped tightly in her hand. "Would you recommend this?"

Most people who entered the shop didn't ask questions about the products. Sex was something that was supposed to come naturally, so other than people who were crazy obsessed or messing with him, nobody ever asked about what they were buying even if it killed them. Matthew had a feeling that she was messing with him, but he wouldn't be surprised if she was a bit on the crazy side too.

"I don't know. I haven't actually tried it," Matthew played along. He didn't know her, so odds were she wasn't there to humiliate him. There was no one else in the store.

She eyed his name tag. "Then, do you mind if I take it to the back and give it a test run, Matthew?" She started to wave the display dick in front of him.

"Sorry. I'm afraid that's against our policy," Matt replied.

"Matthew, do you know if the shipment of penis pumps arrived yet?" Matthew heard his cousin whine from the back. The door was cracked open. His voice carried easily throughout the little store.

Matthew sighed. "Yeah, I'm restocking the shelves right now." He turned his attention away from the sparkly dildo and went back to doing his job.

"Re- Ah! If it isn't my best customer!" Flamboyant as ever, Matthew's cousin emerged from the back of the store and threw his arms around their sole customer. "How are you, darling?"

"Never been better," she laughed. "You never told me you'd be getting fresh blood around here, Francis."

"Ah Jules, you have to meet my baby cousin," Francis introduced him like a proud parent. "He just graduated and gets to work for me for a while."

Matthew noticed from the corner of his eye the way this Jules-woman tensed up.

"High school?" she asked hesitantly, holding the dildo protectively close to her chest as if she could somehow preserve Matthew's innocence despite the fact that he was employed in a sex shop.

"College, honey, college. Don't let his baby face fool you," Matthew's cousin answered for him. Matthew could feel both pairs of eyes looking him over like he was Mr. July. "Isn't he a babe?"

She relaxed and laughed it off. "Yeah. You must be proud."

"Oh, Oodles. Feel free to ask him anything you like. I'll be in the back if you need me." Francis headed back to storage where he could pretend he was a manager some more. "He's still new to the business, so go easy on him," he shouted from the back room.

"So, what's your return policy?" Jules went back to contemplating the dildo. She observed its giant purple form as if she was a Shakespearian actor and this was Hamlet.

"I'm sure you can understand we can't accept back the items that are used. If the original packaging is still on them, it's okay," Matthew said.

"But how can you tell if they really haven't been used? Do you smell them or something?" she asked half-joking, half-serious.  
"We really don't get many returns here." The penis pump shelf was nearly overflowing, so he didn't have much excuse to avoid looking at her. "I can assure you that all our products are top quality. Your satisfaction is our top priority."

"Really?" She smirked. "Then, do you think you could do better?"

It was a loaded question with a myriad of entendres. Answering yes or no was a rather lose-lose situation. It was fairly obvious she was just trying to flirt with him. Trying was the key word. She was verging on sexual harassment, but sex jokes weren't uncommon here.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid mine isn't nearly as purple and sparkly."

She cracked up as if that was the funniest thing she had heard in her life.

Matthew was a little surprised. No one quite responded to the comments made under his breath like that. It wasn't that he was an unfunny guy. It's just that most people didn't care enough to actually listen.

"Fair enough! I like you!" Jules declared.

Matthew couldn't help but give a small smile back at her. She wasn't unattractive. A little strange and a little pretty. It was quite the unusual situation. Two adults simply smiling at each other in a sex shop. A scene illuminated by a backdrop of colorful sex toys.

"Do you want me to check you out?" Matthew asked to break the growing tension.

"Please do." Jules grinned and handed the artificial penis to him as if it were a baton.

Matthew put the dildo back on the display shelf and grabbed the corresponding package. He punched the amount on the sticker into the cash register. "That'll be twenty- three seventy five."

She reached into her pocket and fished out a crumpled up twenty and five dollar bill.

"Keep the change," she said as she grabbed the dark black plastic bag containing her brand new dildo.

This was the first and only tip Matthew had ever made at his cousin's sex shop. He wasn't quite sure about how he felt about that particular $1.25. "Thanks?"

"No problem," she laughed again. "Nice to meet you, Mattie! I'll see you around."

"See you around," Matthew repeated back, but she was already out the door.

Matthew's personal policy was to try to forget every customer that walked through that door for the sake of his and their privacy, but he had a feeling that wasn't going to be the case this time.


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew heard the door jingle as the next customer came through the door. On reflex, his eyes flicked up to see who it was. It was that woman again. It had only been a couple of days since she had last been in. Matthew was slightly stunned. He thought she couldn't possibly try to return that dildo.

She smiled when she recognized him. "Hey there!"

"Hello again," Matthew said nonchalantly. 

"I guess I didn't scare you off, huh?" She didn't go towards the inventory and stayed out in the front. "My name's Julia Beilschmidt, by the way. People call me Jules, and I'm just about the most awesome person you will ever meet."

"Matthew Williams," Matthew responded in a knee jerk introduction. He temporarily forgot that this was a sex shop and he strove for anonymity. 

"Sweet." Jules grinned. She wandered over to the porn magazines kept near the counter. She fingered through the various issues and editions. "You just graduated, right?"

Mathew nodded.

"Congratulations. What was your major?" she continued to small talk.

"Biology," Matthew answered again without thinking.

Jules' grin nearly took up her entire face. "Guess that means you know quite a bit about anatomy. Birds and the bees..."

Matthew let the awkward silence simmer for a while before he cracked a smile. "You could say that."

Her innuendos were forced but cute, Matthew thought. She was trying really hard to break the ice and it was hard not to think about sex in a sex shop.

Jules seemed to be lost for a moment before she snapped her attention back to the magazines. "So, uh, I guess that makes you around 22?"

"23," said Matthew.

Jules nodded as if she was trying to figure something out in her head. 

As Matthew looked at her, he figured that she couldn't be that much older than him. Maybe a year or two younger than Francis.

"So, do you think you'll use your degree for something other than working here?" Jules chatted. 

"I'm saving up to get my masters," Matthew answered. He wasn't quite sure why he treated this customer relation so casually. "I'd like to end up in a nature reserve saving polar bears or something."

Jules' face lit up as she turned to face Matt. "That sounds really cool! Literally! That's awesome, Mattie."

Not that Matthew needed the pep talk, but he was a little amused that she liked his little dream so much.

"What do you do besides shop for purple dildos?" Matthew asked.

"Oh, I'm a professional blogger," Jules said.

"Really?" The occupation piqued Matthew's interest. "You must be pretty good at it."

"Oh, I'm the best," Jules commented humbly. "Hey, can I ask you a professional question?"

The fact that she had to ask him to ask a "professional" questioned concerned him quite a bit considering his profession at the moment was selling sex. His brows furrowed in preparation for what would come next. "I...guess so?"

"Okay, which do you prefer: tits or ass?" she questioned with all seriousness.

Matthew should have expected something like this. "Why?" he avoided the initial question.

"See, my brother's way into tits. Huge tits. I'm being an awesome big sister by getting him a new magazine so he can have a little more variety," Jules explained as she compared two different center folds containing two very buxom women. 

With a sigh, Matthew came out from behind the counter. He stood next to Jules at the rack of racks, trying to remember where he saw it. His arm grazed hers as he reached behind a couple of issues to find the particular magazine.

"Here," he said as he handed it to her. "This one's pretty good if you're looking for big breasts."

She flipped through the pages, quickly examining each girl. "Perfect!" she finally said with a smile.

"What do you think your little brother's going to think about his big sis getting him porn magazines?" Matthew asked as he went back behind the counter.

"Oh, he'll get over it eventually. Last time he got a porn magazine himself, he about nearly had a heart attack," Jules said. She crossed her arms and leaned into the counter. "Let me tell you, that boy is so wound tight I'm afraid he'll blow a gasket."

Matthew glanced over her profile. She really didn't look much like the girls flaunted in those magazines. Her curves were soft and subtle. Being "sexy" wasn't Jules' priority, despite the fact that she frequented a sex shop. She was already oozing with self-confidence. 

Matthew nodded back towards the magazine rack. "You don't want to pick out a magazine for yourself?"

"Nah," Jules said. "Not really in the mood."

Matthew nodded indifferently.

"Ooh, wait! I know! I want to watch a porno!" Jules suddenly exclaimed.

"A porno?!" Matthew was flabbergasted by the seemingly contradictory statements. 

"Yeah! Any kind will do," Jules said getting more and more excited. "Pick out your favorite."

"You do realize you can watch porn for free on the Internet," Matthew said.

"Guess I'm just a little old fashioned," Jules said with a laugh.

Matthew turned around to the DVDs kept behind the counter. He hadn't watched any of them, let alone sold one. He picked a case at random and placed it on the counter. "Was this to buy or to rent?"

"Rent," Jules stared. She put down the magazine on the counter and studied the DVD case. "Nice pick. I don't think I've seen this one before."

"Your total is $8.56. Just be sure to have the movie back in five days," Matthew instructed.

Jules just placed a single ten dollar bill on the counter. She seemed to walk out in a daze studying the movie case as if it were a great work of literature. She paused for a moment and looked back at Matthew.

"By the way, you never answered my question," Jules remembered.

Matthew knew exactly what she was talking about. He shrugged his shoulders. "I like them both."

Jules was deeply unsatisfied and disbelieved his middle-of-the-road answer.

"If I HAD to choose a part." Matthew had to think about this for a moment. "I guess I would go with legs."

"Legs?" Jules questioned. It was a pretty unusual answer.

Matthew shrugged, offering up no excuse.

She grinned. "Interesting." She placed the movie in the bag with the magazine. "See you soon, Mattie!"

Matthew watched her as she left. He reached for a pen and paper and jotted down the information for Jules rental.

"You know who has a great set of legs?" Francis stuck his head out from the back. Apparently, he had been listening in on the whole interaction. He gave his cousin a sultry, all-knowing look.

Matthew's face went bright red. "Shut up, Francis."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey there, Mattie."

Though he only known the voice for a few days, he recognized it instantly.

"Hey yourself," Matthew said in greeting.

His eyes flicked up in response to Jules coming through the door. He had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping. He knew it was a bad idea to reveal the leg thing.

Jules entered the shop in a pair of dangerously short shorts, putting her lean legs on full display. Those little black shorts had a high waist, hugging what curves she had. Though she obviously acted like everything was normal, she had to have done it on purpose. 

Matthew swallowed hard and took a moment to collect himself. He knew better than to gawk at girls. He had to remind himself that she was a customer. Just a customer in a sex shop. Even if she did make him a little uncomfortable in a good way.

"What brings you in today?" Matthew asked. If both of them acted normally, maybe this would actually turn out to be a normal interaction.

"Oh, just returning my movie," she said as she came up to the counter. Her grin concerned Matthew a bit. "I can see why it's your favorite."

Matthew understandably felt a little nervous after he heard that. "So you liked it, huh?"

"Mmhmm. The acting was bad, but the sex was amazing," Jules crooned.

"Ha! You could say that for most every porno," Matthew said.

"My favorite part was when the other Mountie showed up and the pack just had a giant orgy," Jules said as she placed the movie on the counter.

Matthew couldn't tell if she was lying or not. Either way, he was flushing like a mad man. He couldn't remember what in the world he had rented her.

Jules smiled triumphantly. "Finally got you to blush."

Matthew sighed, "You got me." There was no use in denying it. He snuck a peek at the title of the porno before he put it back on the shelf behind him. "Red Riding Mountie and the Big, Bad She-Wolf." So, Jules hadn't been lying.

"That's actually pretty impressive. You've lasted the longest out of anybody," Jules said.

Matthew figured she was probably like this with everyone who worked there. It wasn't just him that she flirted with. He relaxed a bit at that.

"I knew Francis hired me for a reason," Matthew said as he turned back around. "What else can I help you with?"

"Condoms." Matthew didn't know why she winked at him. 

"What kind?" They had so many types of condoms, it wasn't even funny.

"The chocolate flavored ones." The smile was gradually starting to waver and slip from her face.

Matthew wandered over to the condom box tower and looked in the flavor section.

"I'm not seeing any here. Let me check the back. We may have gotten some more in."

"O-okay."

Matthew opened the door to the back of the store and found Francis.

"Hey, I've got to look for something. Would you mind watching the customer out in front?" he asked his cousin.

Francis groaned and slumped off to the front. He shouldn't be complaining that much considering it was his own store. He had gotten spoiled with Matthew taking care of most things. He had left the door open a crack when he left, so Matthew could hear the slight, hushed voices of Jules and his cousin.

"It's not working!" Jules practically hissed.

"Calm down, calm down..." Francis' voice tried to hush her.

They were insistently talking, but all Matthew could hear was mumbling. Mostly on Francis' part. He could hear some of Jules' words rise above the conversation.

"I shouldn't have to... He didn't even... I got all dressed up..."

Matthew had a sinking feeling they were talking about him. It was hard to tell when women wanted him to pay attention to certain things. Granted, he was better than most people in his gender, but there was no universal female language. He constantly had to debate with himself about the safest response to make. He could've been taking this too far. They probably weren't even talking about him. 

He came back out to the front and jiggled the box of chocolate flavored condoms. "I found them," Mathew announced.

"Great. Thanks, Mattie," Jules said.

Matthew couldn't help but notice the hushed conversation promptly ceased.

He rung up the box, and they exchanged money wordlessly. Francis had slipped into the back somewhere in that silent interaction.

As Matthew watched Jules walk away, he saw just how disappointed she looked. Much different than she did when she came into the store. He had to do something.

"Hey Jules," he called out before she reached the door.

Jules looked slightly surprised when she turned around. They both realized that this was the first time Matthew had actually said her name. Once Matthew had blushed the first time around her, it was much easier for him to blush the second.

"You look...really pretty today."

He was relieved to see the smile slip easily back onto her face.

"Thanks! You look pretty cute yourself!" She opened the door with the familiar jingle and a skip in her step. "See you later, Mattie!"

As soon as she was out of sight, Matthew crossed his arms and leaned his head and forearms against the counter. He waited for his face to cool down. He had tried to act normal, but normal just wasn't called for that day. And probably wouldn't be ever again as far as she was concerned. The door jingled again, and he was back to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Even though Matthew had gotten a later shift that day, he was running late. He tried to text Francis, but he never got a response. Matthew didn’t like being late, but it was inevitable at this point. Business was usually slow, so it’s not like him not being there was going to make a difference.

Once he was a few feet away from the door, he realized how wrong that was. “Let’s get it on” was blasting from that little sex shop.

"What’s going on?" Matthew asked as he went through the already open door.  
He found Francis lazily leaning against the counter, iPhone in one hand and supporting his head in the other. A black wire trailed from the headphone jack of the phone to the store’s speaker system.

"Oh, there you are Mattie! We were wondering where you were," Francis said loudly over the music.

At the mention of “we,” Jules twirled out from behind out from behind a shelf, dancing sensually with a blow-up doll.

Matthew laughed. “What’s with the music?”

"Oh, it’s just my ‘songs to have sex to’ playlist. It’s to get customers ‘in the mood,’" Francis said.

"You should dance with us, Mattie," Jules insisted.

"Why aren’t you dancing with Francis?" It’s not like there was anyone else in the store.

Jules pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow. “Francis gets a little too handsy.”

Matthew looked at Francis for an explanation. His cousin simply sighed and moved away the hand that was on his face. There was a very distinct, very red outline of a different hand on his face. She had to have slapped him pretty hard. Matthew would have to scold him later for whatever Francis did to deserve that.

"I suppose I have to now," Matthew said. He grabbed the brunette blow-up doll and swayed to the music. "I’m sorry about my cousin."

"Oh, it’s nothing. He just surprised me a little," Jules said with a smile.

They danced side by side with the occasional dancing trick with their respective partners. Matthew’s eyes couldn’t help but wander over to Jules. They were both dancing like idiots, but he liked the way rocked as she danced up against her doll.

Francis was making wild hand motions to catch Matthew’s attention. Once he did, Francis mouthed the phrase, “Dance with her!” Only he mouthed it so strongly, Matthew had a feeling his job was on the line if he didn’t.

The problem was, Matthew wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to approach her. Jules seemed way off in her own little world. It’s not like Matthew didn’t want to dance with her. In fact, he really did. At that moment, he realized how silly he was being considering his only competition was a blow-up doll, and at least he was a better option than that. Besides, it was just one dance. No harm in that.

The plastic squeaked as Matthew tapped the shoulder of the Jules’ blonde blow-up doll. “May I cut in?”

Jules grinned and gingerly placed her doll off to the side. Matthew placed his next to hers.

The mood of the songs suddenly changed. No longer was it sensual lyrics with a strong bass. The song was lighter, upbeat, carefree, and jazzy.

"Really, Francis?" Matthew laughed. "This song is on your playlist?"

Matthew pulled Jules into his arms. One hand on her lower back and one lightly gripping her hand. He didn’t hold her quite as tight as the blow-up doll, but it was close enough for their bodies to touch.

Francis shrugged. “Most songs are good songs to have sex to,” he defended.

Matthew was going to say something back, but then Jules started singing softly, “Danke Schoen, darling, Danke Schoen.”

He was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected her to sing along.

She stopped singing and started giggling as Matthew spun her out with the swells of the song. After tripping over her feet a few times, Jules stopped pretending she knew how to dance. She wrapped her arms around Matthew and settled into his chest.

At that moment, Matthew completely forgot he was supposed to be dancing. In fact, he had no clue what he was supposed to do at all. If it wasn’t for the momentum of the two of them swaying, he probably would have been frozen stiff. He could feel his heart racing as he was pressed for time to have some sort of response.

"I think she’s into me," Jules suddenly said.

Matthew followed her gaze to the blow-up dolls. The dolls stared at them uncontrollably with their wide-eyed expressions.

Matthew relaxed. He let instinct take over and hugged Jules back. “She hasn’t taken her eyes off you this whole time,” he agreed.

The doll, of course, couldn’t do anything to confirm or deny this fact. She stared unblinking with her “O” shaped mouth.

The shop was filled by a different kind of laughter. A loud and boisterous kind as a bachelorette party entered the shop. This was the kind of crazy group that usually needed a lot of help in trying to embarrass the bride the most.

Matthew looked over to see if he actually needed to do anything, but Francis was already on top of it.

"Welcome, ladies," he greeted them as he came out from behind the counter.

It was in times like these that Matthew understood why Francis opened the sex shop despite the protests from the rest of the family. He was really good at selling sex.

"I think I’m going to take her home with me."

Upon the opportunity of Matthew’s distraction, Jules escaped over to her previous dance partner. The blonde blow-up doll was squeezed tightly in the vice that was Jules’ arms.

"Good choice," Matthew chuckled. He took Francis’ place behind the counter, ready to ring up his customer.

"And also…" Jules reached her hand into the bin of handcuffs and chose a plain pair. She twirled them around on her finger.

Matthew contemplated Jules’ purchase carefully. She wanted to buy a doll already blown up, so that made things a bit complicated. “Were you wanting a bag or…?”

"Nah, lugging around a body bag would seem even more suspicious," Jules laughed. She struggled to fish the excess amount of money out of her pocket while still carrying her haul.

"All right, good night, Jules," Matthew said as she made off with her purchase.

She grinned as she walked backwards straight into the frame of the door. “‘Night, Mattie.”

It may have been the sunset playing tricks on him, but Matthew could have sworn he saw her blush.


	5. Chapter 5

It had to be the hottest day of the year. And of course, it had to be the day that the sex shop's air conditioning broke down. It was still a few hours until the repairman would come, and Francis insisted that the store remain open. Speaking of him, Matthew figured he must be somewhere in the back, laying mostly naked in front of a fan. 

The only fan in the store front was clear across the room from Matthew. The door was left open to let in a breeze, but no such breeze had come through. He couldn't take it anymore. He cut his losses and left his position behind the counter to sit on the floor in front of the fan. It wasn't very comfortable there on the floor, but he made do by leaning against the shelf. He took down the thing with the corner that got in the way of his head. It turned out to be a book, so he flipped to a page and started reading. 

"Hey!" Matthew heard Jules pant excitedly as she entered the store. "Anybody here?"

Matthew reached his hand up and waved. "I'm over here."

He heard her flip flops slap against the floor as she came over to the fan. She wore a breezy white t-shirt that cut off at her midrif. Her legs looked long and glistening with sweat from Matthew's angle on the floor. She grinned and then licked her quickly melting ice cream cone. "Well, don't you look like a hot mess."

Matthew wiped the sweat he had accumulated on his forehead with the back of his hand. He nodded.

"It's hot as balls out there," Jules said as she sat down beside him. She hastily licked up the ice cream running down her sugar cone. "Whatcha readin'?"

"The Kama Sutra," Matthew answered simply.

"Sweet! I wanna look at the pictures."

She settled closer to Matthew despite the heat. Matthew knew he had to be sticky, but she leaned up against his arm. He could feel the tension sticking between their skin.

Matthew flipped through the pages slowly. Most of the positions looked ridiculous. He had to tilt his head to figure out what was going on. He laughed to himself when he noticed Jules was doing the same thing. 

"Do you think that's even possible?" she asked with a laugh of her own.

"Maybe, but I think I'd probably break something." Matthew turned the page.

"Wanna lick?" Jules held out her ice cream to offer to Matthew. 

Matthew looked at the cone in speculation. 

She grinned. "Come on! I know you want it." She waved it in front of Matthew's face. It was getting dangerously close to dripping on the book. "It's not like it's going to last forever."

Before Jules had a chance to retract her offer, Matthew unexpectedly leaned closer, stuck out his tongue, and licked her ice cream. It was hot, and the ice cream looked really good. It didn't take much for him to do it.

"Wow, you actually did it! I didn't think you had it in you," Jules said. She resumed keeping her ice cream to herself. "How'd it taste?"

Matthew nodded. "Like ice scream: sweet and cold."

"Astute observation there, Mattie."

As they continued to read together, or simply looking at sexual positions, Matthew kept thinking about that ice cream. He was definitely past the age of cooties, but he couldn't get past the fact that both she and he had licked it. 

By the time they got through the whole thing, Jules finished crunching down the cone. The ice cream was gone, but a trace amount that had melted glistened on her lips. It left Matthew nearly crazy for one more taste. He thought how easy it would be to press his lips against her. He could almost imagine the flavor of both her and the ice cream mixed. 

Those said lips parted slightly. Her tongue darted out and ran across her lips. That's when Matthew realized how long he had been staring at her. He slammed the book shut and wished he could use it to cover his face without looking like a complete dork. He should've known it wasn't a very smart idea to look at something like this with a girl he barely knew. Jules was pretty and confident and funny and everything, but...maybe it was just the heat getting to him.

"Well, that was fun. I'll take it," Jules said with a grin.

Matthew was stunned for a second. "Th-the book! Right, okay!"

He scrambled to his feet and then helped her up. As he walked her over to the counter, he looked a little jittery. 

"Are you feeling okay, Mattie?" Jules looked concerned.

"I'm fine," he said. Even he could tell his breathing was a little off. "Just...hot."

"Maybe you should take it easy. Let Francis run his own sex shop," Jules said.

"Yeah, sure," Matthew said as he checked her out.  
She put the money on the counter, smirked, and reached up to ruffle Matthew's hair with her hand. "Ooh, you're sweaty!" she giggled. "See you around."

Matthew watched her go and exhaled loudly when she left the shop. He wanted to believe it was just the heat. Oh man, he wanted to believe that so bad. If it wasn't, if it was Jules who sent his heart racing, who put butterflies in his stomach, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do. 

Francis came out from the back and leaned against the wall. "Feeling a little hot and bothered?"

Matthew wordlessly reached back towards the shelf and threw a vibrator at his cousin.

"Whoa! Don't blame me because she turns you on." Francis dodged the shot easily. The vibrator thunked heavily on the ground.

Matthew leaned against the counter on his elbows. He knew he had to do something. They couldn't stay like this. Something always changed.


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn't very often that Matthew got in a bad mood. Very few could claim they had ever seen him mad. This was the day that all previously known assumptions about Matthew could be safely thrown out the window.

Francis stood off to the side of the storage room, not entirely sure what to do. Usually, he had Matthew work out in front due to his kind demeanor and pleasant face, which neither of them were very pleasant today. 

"If you keep your face like that you're going to get worry lines," he pointed out to his cousin.

Matthew knew. His eyebrows furrowed as he couldn't help but think about things he thought he left in the past.

"Want to tell me what's up?" Francis had seen his share of worried Matthews. Matthew had always been open with his cousin.

"My ex called me last night," Matthew answered bluntly.

"Oh, you mean the one who..."

Matthew glared at his cousin until he stopped mid-sentence. 

Francis coughed to keep the laughter from bubbling up. In no way was what happened between Matthew and his ex funny. The laughter was mostly from ironic shock. 

"What did she want?" Francis asked.

"It doesn't matter." Matthew lifted a heavy box unto a shelf. "I didn't get any sleep."

"Want to sleep in the back? I can take the front," Francis offered.  
Matthew had discovered the little makeshift bed hidden away in the storage room. Matthew really tried hard to not think about it, but it was looking like a pretty good option at this point. 

"Yeah," Matthew sighed tiredly. 

Just as Matthew was getting settled on the bed, Francis called out, "By the way, you're closing tonight."

Matthew groaned load enough to let his cousin know his displeasure.

He wanted to sleep but the same thoughts kept popping up in his mind. He kept on thinking of what he could have done or what he could have said to make things go better. 

"Oh hey, Francis."

Matthew squeezed his eyes shut. Jules was there.

"Hello, Jules," Francis greeted his long-time customer.

"Where's Mattie?"

"He's not feeling very well today," Francis covered for Matthew.

"Oh." Matthew heard the disappointment in her voice. "Well, tell him I hope he gets to feeling better quickly."

"I will. Was there anything else you wanted besides my darling cousin?"

Jules laughed. "Not today."

Matthew's mind was preoccupied with other things, so he didn't quite register that the only reason Jules had bothered to go to the sex shop that day was to see him. Instead, he focused on how much of a joke he must have seemed like. 

There were quite a few reasons Matthew and his ex broke up. Their relationship had been great at the beginning. That is, until she transferred schools. And Matthew was okay with that. They could make a long-distance relationship work. The first strains started there. They communicated less and less. Matthew figured that they were both just so busy. Things were still great when they were together. 

It seemed like everything would be okay until she got drunk and slept with his brother. But he forgave her. He forgave both of them. He convinced himself that it was an honest mistake. He believed that obstacles like that would only bring them closer. And he was wrong. Not long after that, she broke up with him over the phone to tell him she had found somebody new. She told him he was a nice guy and felt guilty having cheated on him for so long.

Matthew still wrestled with what he did wrong. Why hadn't she want to be with him? Was he too forgiving? Too understanding? Even in the end, he couldn't blame her for finding someone else if she really loved him. He had let her walk all over him.

Francis had said it wasn't Matthew's fault, and it wasn't in the nice guys finish last sense. Francis insisted that Matthew could do better. Some girls weren't looking for what Matthew offered. That didn't change the fact that rejection hurt like hell.   
Matthew had gotten over his ex-girlfriend, but he hadn't gotten over himself. He saw his last attempt at a relationship a failure. He thought it was pointless to try so hard for something they you were only going to lose anyway.   
...  
Matthew did end up falling asleep because he woke up with his cousin's face inches from his own.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," he said as he kissed Matthew's nose.

Matthew swatted Francis away and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"I'm leaving. You're locking up, remember?"

Matthew yawned and nodded. That nap really hadn't helped at all. He caught the keys to the store. If he had the keys, that also meant he had to open up in the morning. He might as well get this over with quickly. 

He checked the stockroom to make sure all the orders were where they were supposed to be. He checked the cash register to make sure the sales numbers matched the amount of money they had. Finally, he checked the shelves to make sure none of the models were missing.

He heard the bell at the door as someone walked in. That was something he forgot. Matthew forgot to switch the sign over to "closed."

"I'm sorry, but we're actually closed."

He was a little surprised at his wannabe customer. He was dressed in a suit and held the sort of air that he wouldn't be caught dead walking into this sort of establishment unless it was a life or death situation. Even more surprising was the fact that this man already looked like he had his sex supply needs fulfilled judging by the fact that he had a giant purple dildo in his hand. In fact, that dildo looked awfully familiar...

"Ricky, it was a joke! You don't have to..."

Jules walked in next. She was in a dress, of all things, just a few shades darker than her eyes, which went wide when she saw Matthew. "Mattie?"

"Jules?" In the time that Matthew had been working there, he had never seen her come twice in the same day. 

"Who are you?" the man said angrily. He pointed the tip of the dildo at Matthew.

Matthew had neither the time nor the patience to desk with this. He pointed to his name tag. "Matthew."

"Did you sell this to her?" Ricky asked. 

Matthew was getting really tired of his tone of voice. "I don't know. Probably. We sell a lot of dildos here."

"Then, you should know how to make a return," Ricky concluded.

"Oh come on, Ricky, you don't have to be so..." Jules argued.

"Julia, I have had it up to here with your..."

"I'm sorry, sir," Matthew said loudly to make both of them shut up. "But you can't return that."

"I don't see why not. I can clearly see it came from this store." Ricky pointed out the purple dildo display. 

"Yes, but for our customer's safety and hygiene, we only sell our products in their original packaging. We can't reimburse items already opened for quite obvious reasons," Matthew restated the policy.

"See! I told you! The store's closed anyway. Let's just go back and..." Jules started.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Ricky exclaimed.

"Well, you can use it for pleasuring your partner..." Neither of them were listening to Matthew. They were just arguing amongst themselves.

"Just calm down. I was just..."

"You were just what, Julia? Embarrassing me in front of everyone I know?"

"I didn't know you'd open it right then! Besides, you know Elizaveta..."

"Oh, don't you drag her into this."

"Why not? She's getting married, too, you know."

"Look, I don't care how long you've been friends. Elizaveta is not the kind of woman..."

"Maybe you just don't know your fiancée like I do."

"...who will just let someone like you make a spectacle of us! We both know you don't like me, and I don't like you either. You're selfish, rude, obnoxious, self-imposing..."

"Or you can just shove it right up your ass and go fuck yourself," Matthew finished.

There had been just enough gap in the conversation for both of them to hear what he said.  
Jules smothered an escaped laugh with her hand.

"Excuse me?"

"Sir, you had asked what you were supposed to do with a dildo. I answered."

Jules snorted out a few more laughs and gave up trying to hold them back.

Ricky's face was growing bright red. "I have never been so insulted..."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I do believe I said this sex shop is closed. My patience is wearing thin, so I must ask you to leave right now." Matthew crossed his arms and straightened his back. He could be quite intimidating when he wanted to. He wasn't even close to being apologetic. 

Ricky huffed once and left the store, taking the dildo with him. Matthew exhaled in a sigh. He wondered if Francis would be too mad that he had to drive someone out.

"Oh Mattie, I'm really sorry about that," Jules said. "I didn't know he'd..."

"It's fine," Matthew sighed. 

"Are you feeling okay?"

Jules got surprisingly close. Her hands reached up to touch Matthew's cheeks. They stayed there for a while, trying to assess his warmth.

Matthew's mind went blank. For the first time in a while, his mind stopped racing. He had trouble remembering what he was supposed to do besides stand right there. 

He looked into Jules' eyes, not unlike little jewels themselves. Their ruby glint was captivating.

"I've got to close up shop," he said. He really had no idea where that came from. A sense of responsibility that just liked to pop up at inconvenient moments, perhaps.

Matthew awkwardly backed away to the door to the storage room and Francis' office. He shut said door after turning off the storage lights and found the key to lock it after several attempts. Once he slid the right key in, the front room went dark. He turned the lock and peered at the scene before him. 

Jules had turned off the main stores lights and lifted herself up to sit on the counter, waiting Matthew to be finished. The only light in the whole shop came from the windows and the nearly full moon. Jules' high heels dangled from her feet. Her dress stopped before her knees, showing off her calves like a double dose of moonlight. Her long white hair cascaded to the middle of her back. 

Matthew didn't know what it was about this scene that made him stopped caring. Maybe it was because his ex-girlfriend had called him earlier. Maybe it was because he was feeling lonely. Maybe it was because Jules looked just so drop dead gorgeous sitting there, waiting for him, that he didn't even consider there might be consequences. Maybe it was because he just didn't care if he was doomed to sabotage his relationships regardless. Maybe it was because he lost his patience to stop himself. Maybe it was a combination. Either way, it only took a few steps to reach the counter, plant his hands on either side of Jules, and kiss her. 

From the moment their lips touched, Matthew knew he really couldn't stop. It took less than a millisecond for Jules to kiss him back. She reacted immediately by knotting her fingers in his hair as a precaution to keep him from getting away. Her lips parted, begging him to keep going. He deepened the kiss and edged closer.

Jules uncrossed her legs, and Matthew pushed his way between them. Jules' shoes clunked heavily to the ground. Matthew tasted as much of her as he could. When that wasn't enough, Matthew's hands eased under her skirt and across her skin. He was pushing his luck, but he had the mindset that he had been pushing his luck from the beginning.

Jules gasped deliciously from the sensation. Matthew gripped her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the counter. He was met no resistance whatsoever. She was easy. She practically sprang forward with her mouth at Matthew's jaw. Her teeth grazed his skin as she kissed down his neck with unbridled enthusiasm. 

That's when Matthew started to panic. He had expected to be rejected right away with his sudden advancement. He couldn't see why she had let him go this far. He became terrified. He developed this fear that Jules saw him nothing more than a human sex toy. Just another new product in Francis' sex shop that she had to try out. The further steps she took to suggest sex, the fear within Matthew grew. He convinced himself that he had made a huge mistake.

"I-I can't do this," Matthew said. He pushed himself for away from the counter and out of Jules' hands.

"What?" she said breathlessly. Her shock and confusion was immediately replaced by hurt. 

"I can't...I... I've got to go," he said.

"Wait! Mattie!" she called out, but it was too late. Matthew was long gone.

Now alone in the bookstore, her feet bare and her dress hiked up to her hips, Jules covered her face with her hands.

"God damn it!" she cried. She sobbed loudly because she knew no one could hear her.  
...  
Matthew ran about halfway home before he realized he had forgotten to lock the store. He also realized he didn't even have the keys.

"Damn it," he muttered. He took his chances and turned around to head back to the store.  
His luck was with him because Jules was gone. It was late at night by then. She had probably gone home. Matthew tried the front, but it was locked. 

He rested his forehead on the door. He figured Jules must have found the keys and locked up for him when she left.   
He was an idiot. He acted like a dick, and he knew it. He should have stayed and tried to explain, try to understand it himself. But it was too late, at least for that day. Matthew could only hope that this wouldn't be the last time he saw her.


	7. Chapter 7

Matthew's shift had technically ended a long time ago, but he knew he couldn't go home. He was still in some pretty hot water.

Seeing as Matthew no longer had the key, he couldn't open up the sex shop the sex shop that morning. He had gotten up early anyway to try to explain to Francis why the shop wasn't already open. Francis was already there at the sex shop before Matthew and was clearly not in a good mood. 

Francis hated getting up early when he didn't have to. He had counted on that morning to be one where he could sleep in a bit longer. Francis was mad and decided he wasn't going to talk to Matthew. Not until he was good and ready.

Matthew spent the whole day running around the shop looking for things to do. He did all of the tedious chores that Francis hated doing, but his cousin still wouldn't talk to him. 

But there was another reason Matthew hadn't gone home yet. Jules hadn't come into the sex shop, and the closing time was drawing nearer and nearer. He desperately wanted to explain what happened to her. He didn't want it to end like this.

"She's not coming, you know," Francis finally said.

"Francis, I am so sorry..." Matthew started apologizing again. 

"She told me last night that she's had enough for quite a while," Francis reported.

Matthew went pale. "You...you saw Jules last night?"

"Oh yes. She came over to my house in the dead of night and dropped off the keys to the shop. I knew something must have happened because you were supposed to have the keys. She was perfectly composed, but I could tell she had been crying. She must have waited quite a while before coming to me."

"Did she say anything?" Matthew wasn't quite sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh no! Jules never likes to leave herself exposed. She hardly tells me anything, and I'm one of her best friends."

Matthew sighed. He couldn't tell if he was relieved or not.

"However, I did read her blog. If you want to know anything about what Jules is thinking, she'll most likely post about it. Like I saw this little beauty this morning..." Francis pulled out his phone. "Well guys, looks like I managed to fuck everything up." 

"Give me that!" Matthew grabbed his cousin's phone and scrolled through the blog.  
...  
Well guys, looks like I managed to fuck everything up. I honestly don't know what happened. One moment, everything was perfect. The next, I blew it. And yes, I'm talking about the dreamy guy who works in the sex shop. Let's be honest, it's not all that surprising that I screwed up. He was way out of my league. Young, handsome, smart, kind, funny, cute, sexy... I mean, what would he want with me? I go to a sex shop nearly every day. He must think I'm a desperate loser. But the thing that hurts is the fact that the more I got to know him, the more I fell in love with him. I began to think that if I tried hard enough, if I played my cards right, I might just have a chance. Well, nope. I think back, and I feel so stupid. I took it way too far, way too fast, and I was just delusional to think that he might be feeling the same thing. 

And what frustrates me the most is that he kissed me first. I had waited for it for so long, and it was gone in a flash. I never got the chance to tell him everything. I felt I could talk to him about anything, yet my mind went blank when it came to the important stuff. Like how the simple little moments we spent together in that awkward little sex shop were the best moments I could possibly think of. Or how I loved the glimmer in his eyes when he laughed. Or how I wanted so badly to get to know him. Last night was a mistake, and I completely blew it. I just hope that I can salvage my dignity enough to face him again.  
And I have to apologize to you, readers. I made this blog because I wanted to show how you can love yourself when it seemed like no one else did. And it can be really hard. I still believe in that, but man, sometimes picking yourself back up and moving on just plain fucking hurts.   
...  
Matthew scrolled down to see the other posts. Almost every one of them talked about when she went to the sex shop and saw him. She talked about how amazing he made her feel and overanalyzed every move he made. 

Intermingled between these posts were pictures of the reactions of people she gave the sex toys to. Some recipients were ecstatic. Some were disapproving. All of them were hilarious. Matthew could see why she was the shops best customer buying all of these gag gifts and why she could actually make a living by blogging. Surprisingly, they coincided very thoroughly.   
The more Matthew read, the bigger the pit in his chest grew. He wanted to see her. 

"By the way, we got in a new product," Francis announced.

Matthew didn't remember a new order of anything. He certainly hadn't put anything new on display. Sure enough, Francis pulled out a box from behind the counter. Inside was a bouquet of flowers composed of colorful condoms and little candy penises. Matthew didn't think there would be anyone out there who would buy this.

"Do you think Jules will like it?" Francis said whimsically.

Matthew suddenly realized that his cousin was offering him a second chance.

"You'll let me give it to her?"

"Give? This isn't a charity case, Matthew."

Matthew fumbled as he took a twenty from his wallet and slapped it on the counter. "Where does she live?"

"Take a left. Two streets down. Third house on the right, cute little white picket fence, but Mattie..."

It was too late. Matthew grabbed the bouquet and was racing down the street.   
...  
Matthew was a little out of breath when he got to the house. He could see lights on from the windows. A dog started barking from the backyard. He climbed up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. 

He smoothed out his shirt, not quite sure what to do with himself while he waited. Luckily, it didn't take long for the door to open.

Unluckily, the person who opened the door was not Jules. He had several inches on Matthew, not to mention quite a few pounds of rippling muscles beneath his black wife beater. His hair was slicked back. The mysterious door opener glared down at Matthew and his little sex bouquet. 

"Um...this isn't..." Matthew felt like he was being strangled. The words just weren't coming out. He slowly maneuvered the bouquet behind his back.

The tall man closed his piercing eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me those are for Jules..."

"Y-yes...I..." Matthew suddenly remembered that Jules said she had a brother. He was thinking this must be him. The guy who was really into big breasts. Not that Matthew would ever mention that he knew that.

"Jules!" Her brother called into the house. "It's for you!"

"I don't wanna!" Matthew could hear Jules whine.

"Answer the door," the brother demanded. "I'm not dealing with this sort of thing again."

Jules groaned loudly. The brother disappered, and Jules appeared before Matthew.

"Mattie!" She slipped on the floor but caught herself by catching the door.

"Are you okay?!" Matthew motioned to try to help her.

"I'm fine," she stammered as she pulled herself. "So, um...what are you doing here?" She leaned up against the doorway to try to look cool, but she sort of failed.

"I came to apologize," Matthew said.

"Oh?" Jules crossed her arms. "For what?"

"I fucked up." Matthew borrowed the phrase. "Last night shouldn't have gone like that. I was a coward and ran out before I could really make sense of what was going on between us. My last relationship...ended badly. Long story short, I spent so much effort trying to make her happy that I realized that I wasn't. And with you, happiness just seemed so effortless. But I was so paranoid that you were just going to use me, I panicked. And I hurt you, when in truth, I really wasn't thinking. Just for once, I wanted to do something spontaneously for myself, and that involved kissing you. Except, you know, I really hadn't expected to get that far. You were supposed to get mad at me and push me away..."

Jules' poker face turned into a smile. "I think we both got a little carried away."

She looked off to Matthew's side. "Are those for me?"

Matthew suddenly remembered the bouquet. He held them proudly in front to give to Jules.  
"Oh Mattie! They're beautiful!" she cooed. She came out on the porch, accepting Matthew's gift. She plucked off a penis petal, and popped it into her mouth.

Matthew smiled back. "I love the way you smile."

Jules swallowed hard, not expecting the sudden compliment.

"I love the way you walk. I love the way you talk faster when you make innuendos and talk about sex. I love your hair, and I love your eyes. I love your confidence. I love your legs. I love the way you kiss me. And the thing that I regret the most, the reason I came here to apologize, is for letting myself stop kissing you. I'm dying to know more about you so I can fall in love with you more."

They stood speechless for a moment. Jules let the bouquet slip through her hands. Before it could even reach the ground, Jules was kissing Matthew. It was like there was no time or space between that last night and that moment. The spark between them hadn't faded in the slightest.

Jules knew that he must have read her blog. To be more accurate, Jules figured everyone read her blog, but now, she had proof that Matthew actually had. He had plagiarized his little apology from some of her posts. Still, it was probably the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her.

As for Matthew, as badly as he wanted her, he was also very aware that Jules' brother was not that far away. He took control of the kiss and started slowing it down. It was still a very nice kiss but not exactly the kind that they would start ripping clothes off.

"Can I buy you dinner?" Matthew hoped that she would get his insinuation.

"I just ate," Jules admitted. "Tell you what, how about we go to the store and pick up a pack of beers? We can go to your place, get to know all about each other, and you can make me breakfast in the morning," she counter offered. She added in a wink as well.

Matthew laughed. Jules hadn't been nearly as subtle as him. "That sounds perfect."

Jules grinned. "Okay, just give me a second."

She went back inside the house and started gathering up the things she needed. 

"Where are you going?" her brother asked from inside.

"I'm going to get laid!" Jules said loudly.

Matthew flushed. He wasn't used to this level of enthusiasm even if it was true.

"See you tomorrow, maybe!" Jules shut the front door behind her as she came out onto the porch. Her hair was windswept from rushing about her house getting her purse and her shoes. 

Matthew couldn't help but kiss her again.

Jules laughed. "I knew you'd come around." She quickly picked up the bouquet she dropped and linked her arm with Matthew's as they headed off to the grocery store.

"We'll probably have to pick up some ingredients breakfast. What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know. What are you good at?"

"Pancakes."

"Sweet. I love pancakes. We should pick up some sausage, too. I plan on working up an appetite..."


	8. Chapter 8

It was just another day working at the sex shop for Matthew. Except it wasn't. This was his last day. He had gotten into a graduate program and was going to move the next day. He wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, but he knew that other people would.

Francis sighed loudly. Again. Matthew decided to ignore this one as well. He wouldn't know what to say anyway. Instead, he continued stocking the shelves.

The bell rang as the door opened. Matthew could tell who it was just by the sound of feet quickly padding against the ground. He huffed as he was embraced quickly from behind.

"Well, hello there," Matthew greeted the shop's best customer as well as his best girlfriend.

"Mmmm, is that a dildo in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Her voice was low and lusty, her hands inched ever so slightly below Matthew's belt.

Matthew broke out of her hold and turned around. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a realistic looking dildo. Well, as realistic as a penis can get while still being aesthetically pleasing.

"It is, but I'm still happy to see you." He leaned down and kissed her swiftly. 

Jules grinned. She'd been waiting for that joke for a while. Matthew had finally agreed to it on his last day.

"You guys are dorks. You know that, right?" Francis said. He had to deal with these sort of shenanigans ever since they started going out.

"Oh, you're just sad because Mattie's going to be leaving you," Jules teased him.

"It's not like I'm leaving him," Matthew quickly corrected. He put the dildo back on display. "I mean, we are related. We won't be out of touch for long."

"It won't be the same," Francis whined. "I'll have to run the shop all by myself."

"You could always hire someone new." Matthew jumped onto the counter.

"I doubt I'd find someone sexy like you I could exploit. You better actually work today."

The exploitation was true enough. Matthew had some problems with the "sexy" part, but it took too much energy to argue.

"Right well." Jules leaned on Matthew's lap. "What can I help you with today, miss?" 

"I think I'd like to check you out." She reached for the brand new scanner and shined the red light in Matthew's face.

"I'm serious! If you keep on distracting my employees, Jules, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Francis insisted.

"Francis..." Matthew tried to reason with him.

"No, it's okay. No more distractions. There was actually something I needed," Jules said. She stopped leaning on top of Matthew and headed towards the merchandise.

This piqued Matthew's interest. In all the time they had been together, they hadn't needed to introduce any toys. Matthew had thought she had been satisfied. He hopped off the counter to see what was going on.

"You see, my boyfriend is moving away, and I'm afraid I'm going to miss him terribly," she admitted.

Matthew ran his hand through his hair. He supposed that would be a bit of an issue. 

"Well...um..." Matthew walked over to the book section and took two self-help books off the shelf: An Idiot's Guide to Phone Sex and The Art of Sexting.

"This might be a good place to start." Matthew blushed. There was just something more embarrassing about trying to help someone in a relationship they were involved with.

Jules held back a laugh. She hadn't really expected Matthew to take her seriously. She found it touching because at this point she knew how Matthew's last long distance relationship went. Still, she thought it was hilarious that this was what he immediately thought of to keep their relationship connected.

"And what about when it's late at night, I'm alone, and you- I mean my boyfriend is busy studying? What should I do then?"

Matthew was beyond embarrassed at this point. He started grabbing random things off the walls and shelves meant for female self-pleasure. The more he grabbed, the more he thought about what he could do for her instead. 

Jules' arms were full of various books and toys to use in Matthew's absence. Jules was a little overwhelmed by how much thought Matthew had put into this.

"Wow, um, Mattie. This is great and all, but uh, this'll probably only last me a month or two," Jules said behind her pile of sex toys.

"A month?!" There was an echo in the room as Francis shared in Matthew's disbelief.  
Matthew desperately looked around the store, trying to think if there was something else in the store front. Or maybe something back in storage...

"Since I don't think all of this will work out in the long run..."

Matthew blanched. Breaking up never seemed like an option, but the fear suddenly popped in his mind.

"I suppose I'll just have to take you up on that offer you made last night. After that month or two, of course. I wouldn't want to miss out on all this great stuff."

"A-Are you serious?" Matthew knew immediately what she was talking about.

"Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about it, and I just thought..." Jules' face flushed as she tried hard to say the feelings that led to her decision.

Matthew started grabbing things out of Jules' hands. He had no idea where to put it, so they all ended up on the floor behind him. After all of that scrambling, he finally placed himself between Jules' arms. He kissed her and held her and felt the greatest sense of joy and relief. "Oh Jules," he breathed.

"I love you," she laughed nervously. She held him tight, reaffirming her decision. It wasn't the first time she said that to him, but she knew it wouldn't be her last. 

"Oh, I love you so much," Matthew replied effortlessly, kissing her hair and neck. 

"Are you going to buy those or not?" Francis asked grumpily, rather unimpressed by their little performance.

"Oh give me a break, Francis. I just agreed to move in with the guy, and you're already asking for my money," Jules complained.

"You what?!"

"Are you sure?" Matthew asked, ignoring his cousin's outcry. "I mean, it's a long way..."

"I'm going to have to get used to the cold sometime if you're going to be working with polar bears. It'll be a lot easier if I've got someone to warm me up," Jules explained.

"Oh, so not only are you quitting your job here, you're dragging my best customer away too!" Francis protested.

"You'll still have my business," Jules argued. "I'll just have to order from your store online. And I'll still have my blog. We'll stay in touch."

Francis' mood wasn't lightening up. Jules and Matthew grabbed the pile of goods on the ground and brought them to the counter.

"I don't want you two to go," Francis whined. "You're one of my best friends, Jules. And Matthew, we're related, so I sort of love you."

"It's not like we won't visit! We love this place!" Jules enthused.

"It certainly has been an experience." Matthew looked over to Jules. If his cousin hadn't hired him for that short amount of time, he would have never met her.

Francis looked at both of them, unable to hold out against the obvious love oozing between them. "Oh just go already. You've left more than enough change to pay for all this junk."

"Thank you, Francis!" Jules leaned across the counter to kiss her best friend on the cheek.

"And Mattie, here's your last paycheck."

"Thanks, Francis." As Matthew reached for the skip of paper, Francis leaned over the counter and planted a kiss on his cousin.

"Now go!" Francis forlorned. "Before I change my mind!"

Still not quite used to his cousin's style of dramatics, Matthew stuffed the sex toys into a giant dark band and tugged on Jules' hand to get out of there. "Goodbye, Francis," Matthew said. "We'll see you soon."

They left the sex shop without another word. 

"Think you'll be happy with me?" Jules asked as they walked to Matthew's apartment. They only had one more night there. Only a month or two until they would spend every night together.

"I couldn't be anything but." Matthew smiled.


End file.
